Raymond James welcomes $680 million financial advisor group in Akron, Ohio
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James welcomed financial advisors Cynthiea Locala CFP®, CRPS®, Robert Krenz CRPS®, Mark Ruby and Dominic Ruby to Raymond James Financial Services (RJFS) – the firm’s independent advisor channel – according to David Sisemore, Midwest division director for RJFS.
Together the advisors operate as Momentum Wealth Partners in Akron, Ohio and are joined by client service associates Letty Martinez, Erin Barr and Meaghan Spann. The team offers customized planning and analysis to help clients realize their personal or family financial goals. Formerly, they were affiliated with UBS Financial Services where they managed approximately $680 million in client assets.
Locala has been in the financial services industry since 1984 and has served in several management positions including co-founding Oakwood Financial Group in 1988, a precursor to Momentum Wealth Partners. She attended Akron University where she studied business and went on to earn CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and Chartered Retirement Plan SpecialistSM professional designations. An active member of her community, Locala has served as president of Medina City Council, as board chairman of the Medina Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the board of directors of several charitable organizations. She was recognized as a Forbes “America’s Top Women Wealth Advisor” in 2020 and “Best-In-State Women Wealth Advisor” in 2022.
“After extensive research and due diligence, it became clear that Raymond James is the best fit for our clients. The firm has developed one of the most respected client platforms in the industry, in addition to its broad research and technology capabilities which are highly valuable assets. From an operational standpoint, Raymond James has an impressive track record of transitioning advisors to an independent model where we can structure our business and work with our clients as we see fit,” said Locala.
Krenz offers more than 30 years of experience providing financial advice to clients. He was affiliated with UBS Financial Services since 2007, prior to which he spent eight years at McDonald Investments. Krenz received a B.B.A. in finance and business management from Kent State University and continued his professional education with the Charted Retirement Plan SpecialistSM designation. Forbes recognized Krenz as a “Best-In-State Wealth Advisor” in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Mark began his career in financial services in 2006 at Merrill Lynch before moving to UBS Financial Services in 2012. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Akron and has been named by Forbes as an “America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor Best-In-State” in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
With more than 12 years of industry experience, Dominic became a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in 2010 before joining UBS Financial Services in 2012. Dominic is a graduate of Ohio State University and serves on the board of the Medina County Alumni Association. He was also named an “America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor Best-In-State” by Forbes in 2022.
“I’m pleased to welcome the entire team at Momentum Wealth Partners to Raymond James, the high caliber of each of these advisors along with their involvement in their local community is remarkable. I’m proud that the platform and culture at Raymond James continues to attract top talent throughout the industry,” said Sisemore.
About Raymond James Financial Services
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (RJFS), member FINRA/SIPC, is a financial services firm supporting independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, RJFS provides a wide range of investment and wealth planning-related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both firms are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), one of the nation’s premier diversified financial services companies with approximately 8,700 financial advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $1.17 trillion as of Dec. 31, 2022. Additional information is available at raymondjames.com.
Raymond James is not affiliated with any organization mentioned above.
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Momentum Wealth Partners is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, CFP®, (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S. which it awards to individuals who successfully complete the CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The Forbes ranking of America’s Top 1,000 Women Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, AUM, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Research Summary (as of April 2020): 32,000 nominations were received based on thresholds (9,654 women) and 1,000 won. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or SHOOK Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/top-women-advisors/#28abc5bd51f4 for more info.
The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Women Advisors was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience, client impact, industry experience, review of best practices and compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Research summary (as of February 2022): 34,500 nominations were received based on thresholds and 18,465 advisors were invited to complete the online survey. 13,549 advisors were interviewed by telephone, 2,610 advisors were interviewed in-person at an advisor’s location, 1,203 were advisor web-based interviews, and 1,377 women won. SHOOK Research’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see shookresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or SHOOK Research, LLC. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement and may not be representative of an individual client’s experience.
The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors who are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those who encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 34,925 nominations, more than 6,550 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement and may not be representative of an individual client’s experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its financial advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or SHOOK Research, LLC. Please visit forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors for more info.
The Forbes Next-Gen Wealth Advisors rankings, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criterion, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors who are considered are under 40, have a minimum of four years’ experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those who encompass the highest standards of best practices. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Research summary (as of September 2021) included: 33,978 nominations for all rankings, 17,135 invited to complete online survey, 13,116 telephone interviews, 2,565 in-person interviews at advisors’ location, 1,103 virtual interviews and 3,389 individuals considered, and 500 individuals won the Next-Gen ranking. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or SHOOK Research, LLC. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement and may not be representative of an individual client’s experience. For more information and complete details on methodology, go to shookresearch.com